United News of Bangladesh

A Palestinian family divided between Israel and Gaza has reunited after nearly two years of war, displacement and personal tragedy. Mais al-Gharam, 23, had not seen her seven younger siblings since leaving Gaza for Israel shortly before the war began. During the conflict, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the family's home in central Gaza, killing her parents and one of her brothers. Earlier this month, Mais waited outside Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing, searching the crowd for her surviving siblings as they emerged from Gaza. "We never stopped being a family," she said. "But every day I wondered whether I would see them again." After years of legal efforts, Mais was finally able to bring her brothers and sisters, aged 8 to 22, to Israel. The siblings reunited at the border crossing and then travelled together to Nazareth, where relatives welcomed them with hugs and home-cooked meals. The reunion brought both relief and grief. Although the family was together again, they were also mourning the loss of their parents and younger brother. Their grandfather, Faraj al-Gharam, described the moment as "coming back from the grave." The family's story began in 2002 when Murad al-Gharam, a resident of Gaza, met Amal Karim, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Nazareth, while working in Israel on a temporary permit. After marrying, the couple moved permanently to Gaza, where they raised eight children in Nuseirat refugee camp. Life changed dramatically after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Mais had already returned to Nazareth, where she married and found work. Her seven siblings, who were born in Gaza, were eligible to apply for Israeli citizenship through their mother, but their father was not. The family initially decided to remain together in Gaza rather than leave without him. As fighting intensified, they were displaced multiple times before returning to their home in Nuseirat. On July 10, 2024, an airstrike struck the house, killing Murad, Amal and their 11-year-old son, Maisara. The surviving children were injured but managed to reach Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where doctors confirmed the deaths of their parents and brother. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike. After the attack, the older siblings took responsibility for caring for the younger children. They cooked, cleaned, collected firewood for heat and water, and even opened a small bakery to earn money while receiving support from relatives in Nazareth. Meanwhile, Mais worked with Israeli rights group HaMoked to secure permits, legal guardianship papers and citizenship applications for her siblings. According to HaMoked, the Israeli Interior Ministry initially rejected the request because the children's mother had died. The family was later required to undergo DNA testing to prove their relationship to Mais before the applications were approved. Nearly two years after the airstrike, the siblings crossed into Israel on July 8 and travelled to Nazareth. After arriving, they spoke not about politics but about ordinary plans for the future, including going back to school, seeing doctors and spending time with relatives. "Family is the most important thing," said Jwaher, one of the siblings.

Israel has intensified the demolition of Palestinian homes and the eviction of residents in east Jerusalem, according to rights groups and activists, who say the pace of such actions has increased significantly in recent years amid reduced international pressure and shifting global attention to conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. For Palestinian resident Fakhri Abu Diab, the issue is deeply personal. After years of legal battles to save his home in the al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, Israeli authorities demolished it in 2024. He and his wife now live in a mobile home placed on the site, which is also under threat of removal. Abu Diab said the demolition erased much of his family's history, including the home where he grew up and the garden he cultivated as a child. Rights group Ir Amim said more than 260 homes and structures in east Jerusalem have been demolished in 2025, marking a sharp rise from three years ago. The group reported at least 116 demolitions so far this year and described the current situation as unprecedented in scale. Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek these territories for a future independent state, while much of the international community regards them as occupied territories. Israel considers Jerusalem its unified capital. Human rights groups say Israeli authorities continue to promote the expansion of Jewish settlements while restricting development in Palestinian neighborhoods, making it extremely difficult for Palestinians to obtain building permits. According to Israeli rights organization Bimkom, nearly 9,000 building permits were approved for Jewish residents in Jerusalem last year, compared with fewer than 700 for Palestinians, who account for around 40% of the city's population. Israeli officials argue that Palestinians submit relatively few permit applications, while many Palestinians say obtaining approval is nearly impossible. Those who build without permits risk demolition orders. At the same time, settler organizations have used various legal mechanisms to acquire or take control of Palestinian properties. The issue has become more prominent since President Donald Trump's first administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, departing from previous US policies that viewed settlement expansion as an obstacle to peace efforts. The US State Department said policies in Jerusalem are determined by Israeli authorities but expressed an expectation that due process and the rule of law be respected. In al-Bustan, located near the Old City and close to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, around 1,500 Palestinians face the possibility of losing their homes. The area is part of Silwan, a densely populated Palestinian district that is also of significant religious and archaeological interest. The Jerusalem municipality said homes in al-Bustan are being removed because they were built without permits on land not designated for housing. Authorities say a public park and parking facilities will be developed in the area and that alternative housing plans had been proposed to residents. Abu Diab said part of his home existed before 1967 but was later expanded without permits because obtaining authorization was not feasible. Elsewhere in Silwan's Batan al-Hawah neighborhood, Palestinian families continue to face eviction orders. Resident Zuhair al-Rajabi said he and dozens of relatives were instructed to leave their property after Israel's Supreme Court ruled against them following years of legal proceedings. He said his family possesses documents dating back to 1966 proving ownership but now faces relocation with few affordable housing options available in Jerusalem. According to rights group B'Tselem, March saw the highest rate of state-backed evictions in the neighborhood in decades, with 15 families removed and hundreds more residents facing potential displacement. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim properties owned by Jewish families before the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Palestinians who lost homes during that conflict, however, are generally unable to reclaim those properties. B'Tselem said the evictions reflect cooperation between settler groups and state institutions under laws it considers discriminatory, with the result being increased Jewish settlement and reduced Palestinian presence in east Jerusalem. Israel's judiciary rejected accusations of coordination with settler organizations, saying courts decide cases based on legal merits, evidence and established precedent. Settler group Ateret Cohanim defended its activities, saying it seeks to restore Jewish communities that existed in parts of east Jerusalem before the early 20th century. The organization said dozens of Jewish families have moved into Batan al-Hawah since 2004 and more are expected to follow. For many displaced Palestinians, however, the struggle remains deeply emotional. Khalil Basbous, who was evicted from his home in January, now lives with relatives nearby but passes his former house every day. He said he still hopes to return one day.  

Just metres from the yellow painted concrete blocks marking the Israeli army’s most recent redeployment line in eastern Gaza City, displaced Palestinian Zaid Mohammed and his family of six are living in a small tent. The yellow line marks the area Israeli forces pulled back to under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire that began in October and stretches up to 6.5km inside the enclave, covering about 58 percent of Gaza. The line separates an eastern zone under Israeli control from a western area with fewer movement restrictions but continued risks of air strikes and displacement. Zaid’s shelter stands amid widespread destruction, with rubble from flattened neighbourhoods stretching for miles. “Shelling and gunfire continue around the clock,” Zaid told Al Jazeera, noting the proximity of Israeli forces. Residents near the line report frequent gunfire, explosions and nights lit only by military flares amid total darkness. The yellow line refers to Israeli-designated military zones and buffer areas inside the Gaza Strip that have repeatedly shifted during the war, according to UN agencies and humanitarian groups. These evolving zones function as de facto internal borders, shaping civilian movement, access and survival. Read More: Gaza reports 14 dead after Israel says it killed two top Hamas figures During a December visit, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the yellow line as “a new border line”, leaving Israel in control of nearly 60 percent of Gaza, including Rafah and Beit Hanoon. The line emerged through successive forced displacement orders, often issued amid active bombardment, giving civilians little time to flee. UN officials say that at times more than 70 percent of Gaza was under evacuation orders or deemed unsafe. With few visible markers, Palestinians rely on memory and instinct as neighbourhoods shift rapidly from safe to dangerous. Aid agencies warn the uncertainty fuels trauma, disrupts livelihoods and normalises danger, especially for children, even during periods of calm.   With inputs from AL JAZEERA

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed into Gaza’s most heavily destroyed area on Monday after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas, a dramatic reversal of their exodus 15 months ago. As the fragile ceasefire held into a second week, Israel was informed by Hamas that eight of the hostages to be freed during the deal's first phase are dead. Joyous crowds of Palestinians, some holding babies or pushing wheelchairs, walked along a seaside road all day and into the night, carrying bedrolls, bottles of water and other belongings. A few armed, masked Hamas fighters flashed a victory sign. The crowd was watched over by Israeli tanks on a nearby hill. The United Nations said over 200,000 people were observed moving north in Gaza on Monday morning alone. Israel bars thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and former schools are eager to return to their homes — even though they are likely damaged or destroyed. Many had feared that Israel would make their displacement permanent. Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) to reach her damaged but habitable Gaza City home. She saw her younger sister for the first time in over a year. “It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said. Many saw their return as an act of steadfastness after Israel’s military campaign, launched in response to the Hamas militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The return was also seen as a repudiation of US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that many Palestinians be resettled in Egypt and Jordan, which those countries have rejected.

Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers it had held for 15 months, as part of a deal for the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. This swap is the second exchange following a ceasefire agreement that started last weekend, aiming to pause the conflict for at least six weeks. The previous exchange occurred a few days ago, with the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners. Israel, Hamas to swap hostages, prisoners amid ceasefire test The list of 200 Palestinian prisoners includes individuals convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, with 120 militants serving life sentences. Some prisoners will be required to live in exile, and there are concerns over where they will be sent. The exchange process is part of a broader ceasefire that also allows more aid to reach Gaza. Despite these developments, tensions remain high, and the conflict continues to take a devastating toll on both sides.  

As winter sets in, nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by 14 months of war in the Gaza Strip face severe hardships, struggling to shield themselves from the cold, rain, and wind. Aid workers and residents report that families lack sufficient blankets, warm clothing, and firewood. Many are living in worn-out tents and makeshift shelters that have deteriorated due to prolonged use. Shadia Aiyada, who fled Rafah for Muwasi, shares a fragile tent with her eight children, relying on a single blanket and a hot water bottle to keep warm. "We panic whenever we hear forecasts of rain and wind because our tents barely hold up," Aiyada said. "I worry my children will get sick without proper clothing." Having escaped with only summer attire, her family now depends on borrowed clothes to endure the cold. Night temperatures in Gaza often drop to the mid-to-high single digits Celsius (40s Fahrenheit), increasing the risk of illness, especially among children. Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident The United Nations has highlighted the precarious conditions, warning that makeshift shelters may not survive the winter. According to the U.N., at least 945,000 people urgently need winterization supplies, which have become unaffordable in Gaza. Rising malnutrition and the threat of infectious diseases further compound the crisis. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has distributed 6,000 tents in northern Gaza over the past month but has been unable to deliver supplies to other areas due to ongoing hostilities. Essential items like 600,000 blankets and 33 truckloads of mattresses remain stuck in Jordan and Egypt, awaiting Israeli approval for transport. Many stored supplies have already been damaged by weather or looted. The International Rescue Committee is also facing obstacles in delivering children’s winter clothing, citing lengthy approval processes from authorities. Dionne Wong, the group’s deputy director, emphasized the limited ability of Palestinians to prepare for winter. Syrians celebrate during first Friday prayers since Assad’s ouster Israel's government claims to have collaborated with international organizations to deliver heaters, clothing, tents, and blankets. However, aid workers say the supplies are far from adequate. The war has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry states that more than half the casualties are women and children, though Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants. The war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Negotiators are reportedly making progress toward a ceasefire that could increase aid flow, but for now, displaced families face harsh conditions. Most cannot afford winter clothes, which have become prohibitively expensive. Reda Abu Zarada, 50, displaced from northern Gaza, described nights spent huddling with her children to keep warm. She fears rats that roam their torn tent and dreads the possibility of finding her children frozen. Omar Shabet, displaced from Gaza City, avoids lighting fires to stay warm, fearing airstrikes. "We stay inside our tent after sunset because it gets unbearably cold," he said. "My 7-year-old daughter cries at night from the cold."

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe Saturday to call for a cease-fire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached. Huge rallies were held in several European cities, with gatherings expected to continue over the weekend and peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary. In Rome, several thousands demonstrated peacefully Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the center of the city, in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests, citing security concerns. Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered threw stones, bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd. At least 30 law enforcement officers and three demonstrators were injured in the clashes, local media reported. The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict. In London, thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy police presence. The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestinian protesters and counterdemonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed one another. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. At least 17 people were arrested on suspicion of public order offenses, supporting a proscribed organization and assault, London's Metropolitan Police said. In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police. Two smaller pro-Israeli counterdemonstrations took place without incident, it said. Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading ”stop the genocide,” “free Palestine,” and “hands off Lebanon.” Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered at New York’s Times Square to call for a cease-fire, chanting “Gaza!" to a drumbeat. Some wore keffiyeh scarfs, waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and held a large cardboard image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with red paint symbolizing blood across his face. Rallies were also planned in several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound. Read: Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe amid high alert as Oct. 7 anniversary nears Pro-Israeli demonstrations are expected to be held Sunday because Jews across the world are still observing Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish new year. This year, emotions will be high for many given that the midpoint of the 10 days spanning Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Oct. 7 — the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. High security alerts Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that the protests could turn violent. Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate cease-fire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent, with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers. Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday's rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 attack being “glorified,” local media reported. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential terror attacks. “This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken. “We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain being drawn into it,” Jamal said. In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests. German authorities pointed to increasing antisemitic and violent incidents in recent days. Read more:Dozens arrested in new pro-Palestinian protests at UCLA Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying that the terrorist threat was high. Thousands rally in DC for Gaza and Lebanon About 3,000 people demonstrated within sight of the White House, protesting the year-old Israeli siege of Gaza and the widening attacks on Lebanon. Amid a heavy police presence, the protesters gathered at Lafayette Park, the same site as the summer 2020 protests against police brutality and the death of George Floyd in police custody. The crowds chanted, “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” One speaker on stage commemorated Oct. 7, 2023, as “the day that Gazans finally broke out of their prison.” The crowds then marched through downtown D.C., with police closing the streets ahead of them. Dozens of protesters carried signs criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the issue. One sign read: “Abandon Harris ’24.” Law student Annette Tunstall said she had a brief moment when she considered voting Democrat after Biden stepped down and Harris assumed the candidacy. But she lost faith when she said pro-Palestinian voices were muzzled at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Read more:Police clear Pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University, dozens arrested “I really wanted to feel like I could vote for her in good conscience,” Tunstall said. “I don’t think it would have taken a lot for thousands of pro-Palestinian people to hold their nose and vote for Harris.” A tense and bloody year On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation. In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which it seeks to push back from its border in parts of south Lebanon where the group is entrenched.

Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef  S.Y. Ramadan on Tuesday met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and briefed him on the ongoing genocide in Gaza and West Bank, especially the killing of innocent women and children. He also focused on the growing concerns and escalation of tensions in the Middle East, resulting in widespread instability in the region and beyond. The conversation also touched on the challenges faced by Palestinian students who have been unable to take advantage of scholarships offered by universities in Bangladesh due to the ongoing blockade in Gaza. The Ambassador expressed deep gratitude for Bangladesh’s longstanding support to Palestine in the international platforms and sought for continued support in future, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Affairs Adviser reiterated Bangladesh’s steadfast support to the Palestinians and their inalienable rights to an independent and viable state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.    

In Israel's call for the evacuation of half of Gaza's population, many Palestinians fear a repeat of the most traumatic event in their tortured history, their mass exodus from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. Palestinians refer to it as the Nakba, or "catastrophe." An estimated 700,000 Palestinians, a majority of the prewar population, fled or were expelled from what is now Israel in the months before and during the war, in which Jewish fighters fended off an attack by several Arab states. The Palestinians packed their belongings, piling into cars, trucks and donkey carts. Many locked their doors and took their keys with them, expecting to return when the war ended. Seventy-five years later, they have not been allowed back. Emptied towns were renamed, villages were demolished, homes reclaimed by forests in Israeli nature reserves. Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms Israel refused to allow the Palestinians to return, because it would threaten the Jewish majority within the country's borders. So the refugees and their descendants, who now number nearly 6 million, settled in camps in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Those camps eventually grew into built-up neighborhoods. In Gaza, the vast majority of the population are Palestinian refugees, many of whose relatives fled from the same areas that Hamas attacked last weekend. The Palestinians insist they have the right to return, something Israel still adamantly rejects. Their fate was among the thorniest issues in the peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago. Now, Palestinians fear the most painful moment from their history is repeating itself. "You look at those pictures of people without cars, on donkeys, hungry and barefoot, getting out any way they can to go to the south," said political analyst Talal Awkal, who has decided to stay in Gaza City because he doesn't think the south will be any safer. "It is a catastrophe for Palestinians, it is a Nakba," he said. "They are displacing an entire population from its homeland." Israel has vowed to crush Hamas after its bloody Oct. 7 incursion. Militants killed over 1,300 Israelis, many in brutal fashion, and captured around 150 — including soldiers and civilians, young and old. Israel has launched blistering waves of airstrikes on Gaza in response that have already killed over 1,500 Palestinians, and the war appears set to escalate further. Palestine-Israel clash won’t have any impact on Bangladesh: FM Momen On Friday, Israel called on all Palestinians living in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, to head south. The evacuation orders apply to more than a million people, about half the population of the narrow, 40-kilometer (25-mile) coastal strip. With Israel having sealed Gaza's borders, the only direction to flee is south, toward Egypt. But Israel is still carrying out airstrikes across the Gaza, and Egypt has rushed to secure its border against any mass influx of Palestinians. It too, fears another Nakba. Israeli officials say the evacuation is aimed at sparing civilians and denying Hamas the ability to use them as human shields. "The camouflage of the terrorists is the civil population," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday. "We need to separate them. So those who want to save their life, please go south." The military has said those who leave can return when hostilities end, but many Palestinians are deeply suspicious. Israel's far-right government has empowered extremists who support the idea of deporting Palestinians, and in the wake of the Hamas attack some have openly called for mass expulsion. Some are West Bank settlers still angry over Israel's unilateral pullout from Gaza in 2005. "Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48. Nakba in Gaza and Nakba to anyone who dares to join!" Ariel Kallner, a member of parliament from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, wrote on social media after the Hamas attack. Israel's Netanyahu vows to 'destroy' Hamas, says Gaza offensive still in early stages Hamas, meanwhile, has told people to remain in their homes, dismissing the Israeli orders as a ploy. President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the internationally-recognized Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, also rejected the evacuation orders, saying they would lead to a "new Nakba." Abbas, 87, is a refugee from Safed, in what is now northern Israel. He wore a key-shaped lapel pin when he addressed the United Nations last month, noting the 75th anniversary of the Nakba. Palestinians have heard their relatives' stories, and have been raised on the idea that the only hope for their decades-long struggle for self-determination is steadfastness on the land. But many in Gaza may be too frightened, exhausted and desperate to make a stand. For nearly a week, they have been seeking safety under a barrage of Israeli airstrikes that have demolished entire city blocks, sometimes hitting without warning. There's a territory-wide electricity blackout and dwindling supplies of food, fuel and medicine. The south isn't safe, but if Israel launches a ground offensive in the north, as seems increasingly likely, it might be their best hope for survival, even if they never return. "The experience that happened with our families in 1948 taught us that if you leave, you will not return," said Khader Dibs, who lives in the crowded Shuafat refugee camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem. "The Palestinian people are dying and the Gaza Strip is being wiped out."

Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, launched an attack inside Israel over the weekend, killing hundreds and taking others hostage. Its unprecedented breach of the border sent fighters inside border communities and military installations, shocked Israel and its allies, and raised questions about the group’s capabilities and strategy. WHAT IS HAMAS? The group was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian refugee living in Gaza, during the first intifada, or uprising, which was marked by widespread protests against Israel’s occupation. Hamas is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, and a recognition of the group’s roots and early ties to one of the Sunni world’s most prominent groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in the 1920s. The group has vowed to annihilate Israel and has been responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers. The U.S. State Department has designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization. Hamas won 2006 parliamentary elections elections and in 2007 violently seized control of the Gaza Strip from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority, dominated by rival Fatah movement, administers semi-autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel responded to the Hamas takeover with a blockade on Gaza, restricting movement of people and goods in and out of the territory in a step it says is needed to keep the group from developing weapons. The blockade has ravaged Gaza's economy, and Palestinians accuse Israel of collective punishment. Over the years, Hamas received backing from Arab countries, such as Qatar and Turkey. Recently, it's moved closer to Iran and its allies. Read more: What to know as war between Israel and Hamas rages on for a fourth day WHO ARE HAMAS' LEADERS? Hamas founder and spiritual leader Yassin — a paralyzed man who used a wheelchair — spent years in Israeli prisons and oversaw the establishment of Hamas' military wing, which carried out its first suicide attack in 1993. Israeli forces have targeted Hamas leaders throughout the years, killing Yassin in 2004. Khaled Mashaal, an exiled Hamas member who survived an earlier Israeli assassination attempt, became the group’s leader soon after. Yehia Sinwar, in Gaza, and Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in exile, are Hamas' current leaders. They realigned the group’s leadership with Iran and its allies, including Lebanon's Hezbollah. Since then, many of the group’s leaders relocated to Beirut. Read more: Israel strikes and seals off Gaza after incursion by Hamas, which vows to execute hostages WHAT DOES HAMAS WANT? Hamas has always espoused violence as a means to liberate occupied Palestinian territories and has called for the annihilation of Israel. Hamas has carried out suicide bombings and over the years fired tens of thousands of increasingly powerful rockets from Gaza into Israel. It also established a network of tunnels running from Gaza to Egypt to smuggle in weapons, as well as attack tunnels burrowing into Israel. In recent years, Hamas had appeared to be more focused on running Gaza than attacking Israel. WHY NOW? In recent years, Israel has made peace deals with Arab countries without having to make concessions in its conflict with the Palestinians. The U.S. has recently been trying to broker a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a bitter rival of Hamas' Iranian backers. Meanwhile, Israel's new far-right government was working to cement Israeli settlements in the West Bank despite Palestinian opposition. Hamas leaders say an Israeli crackdown on militants in the West Bank, continued construction of settlements — which the international community considers to be illegal — thousands of prisoners in Israeli jails, and its ongoing blockade of Gaza pushed it to attack. Its leaders say hundreds of its 40,000 fighters took part in the assault. Israel says the group has about 30,000 fighters and an arsenal of rockets, including some with a range of about 250 kilometers (155 miles), and unmanned drones. Read more: Israel-Hamas war: Humanitarian groups scrambling to assist civilians